Kickstarter: Immersis VR Reaches $100K Goal

Since the announcement of Oculus Rift’s virtual reality system and Google’s augmented reality Glass device, companies have been figuring out how to blend the two. Microsoft has been playing with Roomalive and HoloLens, and Catopsys has joined the fray with Immersis VR.

French startup Catopsys is leveraging Immersis as an alternative to VR headsets like Oculus Rift. The Immersis system differs from VR headsets in that it projects a real-time adaptation of any kind of content – games, 3D applications, videos, or panoramic photographs – into your room based on the size and share of the room you are in. The system also integrates with TVs, monitors, or tablets allowing for touch-screen interaction or higher resolution for a main area.

Immersive VR allows you to share your gaming, video, and photo experiences by projecting it onto the walls of your room.

Two of the main factors for Catopsys’ interest in developing the Immersis VR system is to allow people to share their gaming, video, and other experiences with friends and family – and being able to do so without fatigue that may be experiences when using VR headsets.

Daniel Duhautbout, CEO & Co-Founder, sums up existing VR development:

“Until now, VR was limited to artificial formats. It was about immersing your mind into the format of a TV screen or into a lonely and artificial journey of head mounted displays. But it demonstrated that gamers would love to get more immersion.”

Catopsys’ Immersis video goes on to show how Immersis is different:

“While VR headsets cut you off, taking you to another world, Immersis works the other way around. It brings the other world to your living room.”

While Immersis sounds very similar to Microsoft’s Roomalive (formerly Illumiroom), Immersis doesn’t use use image interpolation but instead:

it deforms a panoramic image based on multiple parameters (the 3D model of the immersive space, its texture, the user’s point-of-view, the optical system used, etc…) and then projects the image into this immersive space in a way that the end result is as close to reality as possible.

Immersis uses a fisheye lens to attain a full 180° horizontal field of view.

As well, Immersis supports a full 180° horizontal field of view while MS Roomalive only supports 120° field of view.

Technical specifications for Immersis version 1 will include:

Native resolution 1920 X 1080

Horizontal field of view: 180°

Vertical field of view : maximum 120°

Brightness 3000 Lumens

LED light source 50000 hours

100000:1 contrast

Weight : 400oz

Color : Black

Platforms : PC

Video connection : HDMI/DVI

The Immersis VR system will be portable as well and claims to be easy to set up. It definitely has a unique design (I can’t help but think of Pixar’s lamp when I see it) and is a cool concept, we’re definitely curious to see how it functions.

Immersis folds in half to take it on the go.

Check out the Immersis VR video below.

Estimated delivery is in October of this year and while a price has not been set, a pledge of $3,000 will get you a custom Immersis unit. Head on over to their Kickstarter to check out the technology behind the idea, there’s still 5 days left to back the project.

What do you think about Immersis? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.

Virtual reality immersion has become one of the most discussed technology subjects since Oculus Rift debuted on Kickstarter and was then purchased by Facebook in 2014.

Immersis is an alternative to the VR headset model that Oculus popularized. Thanks to sophisticated image processing algorithms and a 180° LED video projector, you can now have a virtual reality experience of your video games and panoramic videos in your living room with your friends without having to wear a headset.

Connected to your computer, Immersis can project any kind of content at 180°, be it photographs, videos or video games. If the content is two-dimensional, the projection is flat. If your content is panoramic, 180°, video games or 3D applications, the projection will be at 180°. You can also integrate a television, monitor or tablets into the projection, either to benefit from their higher resolution or for a specific interaction on the screen/touch-screen. You will continue to use your existing controls (game controllers, keyboard, mouse/trackpad).

The Kickstarter campaign which was launched during International CES in Las Vegas has already achieved its first funding goal of $100,000. Several stretch goals are in place to help create plugins for Unreal and Cry game engines (the Unity plugin is already available) as well as SDK development.

Immersis, from French startup Catopsys, will also be present at SXSW in Austin and has been chosen to participate at the Futur en Seine FrenchTech technology festival in June in Paris.

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